Lactic Acid and Water Exercise – By Ruth Sova

copyright Ruth Sova 2005 - do not reprint without permission of the author

Some water exercisers who work extremely hard will feel a burning sensation in their muscles. The “burn” makes the muscle feel tired, uncoordinated, and heavy as lead. When worked to the extreme, the muscle simply refuses to do any more work. The “burn” is often a sign of overdoing rather than doing enough.

The body’s main fuel source during water exercise is glycogen. It is formed from carbohydrates and stored in the muscles and liver. When combined with the oxygen that is inhaled during a workout, the glycogen breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. The body gets rid of these undesirable byproducts by simply exhaling. If too little oxygen is inhaled, there is not enough to combine with the glycogen, and the byproduct is lactic acid, which is a real acid.

Lactic acid builds up when the water exercise becomes anaerobic. It builds up in the muscle and then overflows into the bloodstream. At that point, the body starts shutting down. Enzymes slow, coordination falls apart, muscle contraction becomes more difficult, and the participant has an overall feeling of fatigue. If the lactic acid build-up gets high enough, the muscle stops contracting altogether. The participant loses control of the muscle, which becomes increasingly painful and may cramp.

The “burn” is not a goal of water aerobic workouts. Rather, training should enable the body to flush out the lactic acid and recover more efficiently when any lactic acid is created. A water workout without the “burn” will leave participants with increased vigor and muscle tone.

Athletes who participate in sports that concentrate on short bursts of energy, followed by rest periods, will often exercise to the “burn.” Muscle fatigue is a strong factor in the competitors’ ability to be successful in these events. Since one cause of muscle fatigue is lactic acid, training the body to tolerate higher levels of it without showing reduced performance would be an advantage in these sports. Aquatic exercise participants who are involved in sports of these types may want to exercise to (not into) the “burn.” The interval-training and weight-training programs listed in this book can be used for anaerobic training.

This article is an excerpt from AQUATICS - The Complete Reference Guide for Aquatic Fitness Professionals by Ruth Sova. The book is available through Aqua Gear.